Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_August_2020 - 34

Time-tested tools

Regardless of how much technology is added to the modern vehicle,
technicians will always need hand tools to get the job done.
By Barry Hoyland, Contributing Editor

I

have been working in the
automotive repair industry for
nearly 50 years. When I started,
the typical industry title for
my job was "mechanic". Since
I started on this career path, the job
description, along with the title, have
changed many times.
As a "mechanic", your role was to
determine what was wrong with the
mechanical aspects of a vehicle, which
was typically based on the symptoms
presented combined with your experiences on similar vehicles. Once you
determined what was wrong, you
repaired or replaced the faulty mechanical components and the vehicle was back
on the road.
Later, the title "mechanic" changed
to "installers," as we would install parts
that failed or went beyond their service
life. Now, thanks to the addition of
enhanced technology and computer
systems, we are "technicians," capable of
performing complex diagnostic routines
both to determine where the problem
lies and how to repair the electronic and
mechanical components when needed.
Despite these waves of change, one
thing that has remained a constant
throughout every phase of my career has
been my reliance on quality hand tools.
When I started in the business, mechanics were required to supply their own
tools. At that time, since most shops
primarily worked on domestic vehicles,
the need for hand tools was limited to a
set of SAE sized tools without the need
for metric sizes. If you did see the occasional Volkswagen Beetle, Mercedes,
or Datsun, you either borrowed the
tools from someone or did not accept
those jobs until you saw enough cases

34

PTEN

AUGUST 2020

p Hoyland's Top Alcohol Funny Car
serviced and ready to load into the
trailer. This car is capable of running
the quarter mile track in about 5.4
seconds at around 270 MPH.

u Funny Car Engine -
A 3500 horsepower 526
cubic Hemi head engine
ready to go.

to justify buying the tools.
As vehicles became more complex
and additional systems were added,
hand tools evolved into more "specialty
tools" designed to make a specific task
easier or faster. In some cases, they made
repair possible. Nowadays a technician's
tool box needs to include complete sets
of both SAE and metric wrenches and
sockets, in addition to basic tools like
ratchets, extensions, pliers, screwdrivers,
and a large assortment of specialty tools
that are used for specific tasks to facilitate and expedite the repair process.
I am an owner and crew chief of
a drag race car as well as four others,

www.VehicleServicePros.com

including a five-engine tractor used for
pulling. In this article we will discuss
the variety of hand tools my team and
I use to make jobs simpler and quicker.
I stress quicker because the race car we
will be showcasing is known as a Top
Alcohol Funny Car that we campaign in
the NHRA circuit. This car is capable of
running the quarter mile track in about
5.4 seconds at around 270 MPH. My
crew of five people is capable of completely rebuilding its 3500-horsepower
machine and replacing the clutch in
roughly 40 minutes.
This is accomplished by a combination of a group of people that are trained
http://www.VehicleServicePros.com
Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_August_2020

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